Life is better in Vigo County because of its parks. They are gems.

The facilities operated by the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department vary from the vast spaces of Fowler, Hawthorn and Prairie Creek parks, to historic Markle Mill Park, unique Griffin Bike Park, eye-catching Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area, and family friendly neighborhood parks in West Terre Haute and Prairieton. They offer solace, natural scenery, fitness opportunities and outdoors activities to county residents and visitors, with free basic admission.

The parks encompassing 2,690 acres of land and 143 acres of water have earned a stellar reputation. Ninety-one percent of residents rated the Vigo parks "great" or "good" in a survey conducted for the department's 2015-2019 master plan. Those same respondents said the most important attributes they consider in choosing a park to visit are the availability of recreational amenities (76 percent) and cleanliness (62 percent).

Most likely, the people who answered that survey are not the miscreants who are vandalizing and abusing the Vigo County Parks' two public beaches. Because of the damages and liabilities from those misdeeds, parks officials are considering closing the beaches at Fowler and Hawthorn parks. Given the nature of the problems, the parks officials' contemplation of such a drastic step is understandable.

Nonetheless, the community should actively support an appropriate strategy to curtail the vandalism and irresponsible behavior. The county should not have to close its public beaches as a result of hoodlums and no-accounts. Such a quality-of-life setback would send an inaccurate picture of Vigo County to the rest of Indiana and beyond.

The problems leave rational parks goers shaking their heads in disgust. In a Monday meeting of the Vigo Parks Board, superintendent Kara Kish and assistant superintendent Adam Grossman described "a ton of vandalism," as he put it, and breathtaking incidents of parental neglect. Shower heads in the beach houses and restroom stall doors have been stolen. Feces get smeared across restroom walls. People climb atop the beach houses, sleep on picnic tables, swim beyond the designated areas, burn doughnuts with cars in the parking lots, curse parks staffers and pelt them with beer bottles when trying to enforce rules, and leave kids as young as 5 years old unattended at the beaches.

Parks administrators are flummoxed in trying to "figure out how to resolve this situation so that it's a safe, healthy environment," Kish told the board.

One option they pitched was closing one beach, and shifting its attendant to the remaining beach, doubling its staffing without extra taxpayer cost. Another idea is to offer kayaking or other water recreation. In the short-term, the administrators agreed to use a board member's suggestion putting up a sign, warning visitors the vandalism and irresponsibility must stop within a month, or the beaches will close.

In the long term, it may be time for the county to team with the Terre Haute Parks Department in sharing a parks ranger. City parks superintendent Eddie Bird has previously cited the need for a ranger to monitor the city parks, which are a completely separate entity from the county parks system. Despite the two parks systems' separate divisions, the situation merits consideration of a joint effort in this specific case.

Whichever remedy is chosen, public support is crucial in maintaining safe, beautiful and active Vigo County parks.

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Tribune-Star Editorial: Public support crucial in keeping parks' beaches open - Terre Haute Tribune Star